Rare Beatles Photos From First US Concert On Display In SoCal

13th February 1964: The Beatles in performance at the Washington Coliseum. Left to right : George Harrison (1943 - 2001), Paul McCartney, John Lennon (1940 - 1980) and Ringo Starr. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

This Sunday, Feb. 9th marks the 50th anniversary of The Beatles historic take over of America beginning with their official US debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. Along with the numerous TV tributes taking place to honor this 50th milestone, Beatles fans in SoCal can personally take a trip up north on the 101 to Old Camarillo to see rare and unseen photos of the Fab Four’s first U.S. concert.

A collection of photos by National Geographic photographer Fred Ward of The Beatles first U.S. concert at Washington D.C.’s Coliseum on Feb. 11 1964 will be on display at Sessions At The Loft gallery in Camarillo (2465 Ventura Blvd., Camarillo) this Sunday, Feb. 9th.

Ward was on assignment to cover the Beatles arrival to Washington D.C. by train two days after their TV debut on the Ed Sullivan Show, reports the L.A. Times. His photos were some of the only high-quality color photos taken of that concert.

Years later his son, Christopher, sorted through his father’s prints and negatives of the show, and uncovered many shots that have never been printed before.

“Some of his Beatles photos were published at the time in a booklet,” Christopher Ward told the L.A. Times, “but many of them were never printed up.”

For the exhibit, Christopher will print out several shots for the first time to put on display for Beatles fans this Sunday. Some photos can be viewed on their site www.awardagency.com, where a number of 8x10s are also being sold for $250, notes L.A. Times.

“We’re not trying to get rich off these,” Christopher said. “I’ve seen some other photographers’ shots going for $7,000. We want them to be accessible to fans.”

The event runs from 3-6pm on Feb. 9th and is free and open to the public. For more details visit Sessions At The Loft’s website.

Surviving Beatles members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will celebrate the milestone with a performance on Sunday, Feb 9th for CBS’ TV tribute The Night That Changed America: A GRAMMY Salute To The Beatles at 8 p.m.